Knights Valley sits at the northern tip of Napa Valley and the eastern edge of Sonoma County: a warm, sheltered appellation that has long produced Cabernet Sauvignon of genuine quality while living in the shadow of its more famous neighbors. The valley is dominated by a handful of significant landholders, most notably Peter Michael Winery, whose high-elevation estate on the slopes of Mount St. Helena has produced some of California's most celebrated Chardonnay and Cabernet for four decades.
The appellation receives minimal fog from the Pacific: no low corridor connects the valley to the ocean, and the uplands that ring it, from Mount St. Helena to the Mayacamas along Sonoma's eastern edge, close it off on every side, resulting in a growing season defined by warm days, cool nights, and significant diurnal temperature swings. Volcanic soils from ancient Mt. St. Helena activity add mineral complexity to the fruit profile. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc are the dominant varieties, and the best wines carry a structural density that rivals Napa Valley at considerably lower price points.
Tasting fees are per person: $ under $25 · $$ $25–50 · $$$ $50–100 · $$$$ $100+. Reserve and seated experiences may run higher.
Founded by Sir Peter Michael in 1982, a Knights Valley estate among California's most celebrated. High-elevation vineyards from 900 to 1,900 feet on the western slopes of Mount St. Helena produce single-vineyard Chardonnay and Cabernet of extraordinary precision. Winemaker Robert Fiore has led the cellar since 2020. Allocated by mailing list; private visits by appointment.
These wineries make wine from this appellation’s grapes and pour at their own tasting rooms elsewhere in Sonoma County. Ask for it when you visit.
Founded by racing driver Kevin Buckler, a Rolex 24 Daytona winner, Adobe Road brings motorsports discipline to Sonoma winemaking. Winemaker Garrett Martin sources across Petaluma Gap, Russian River, Dry Creek, and Napa, from single-vineyard Pinot and Chardonnay to the bold Racing Series blends. Petaluma's top-rated tasting room.
Founded in 1973 and named for Jean Sheffield Merzoian, sister-in-law and wife of the founders. The 1920s chateau began as a summer home built by Ernest Goff; its oak-paneled rooms serve as the Reserve Tasting Room. The Cinq Cépages Bordeaux blend is the flagship. Bocce, rose gardens, and the Estate Picnic beneath the redwoods.
Joe Donelan fell for the Northern Rhône and set out to replicate its elegance on Sonoma's hillside sites: single-vineyard Syrah and Chardonnay from Chalk Hill and Knights Valley. Robert Parker called the Obsidian Syrah 'a candidate for perfection.' The tasting room sits in a Santa Rosa warehouse district; family pours.
California's most-visited winery destination, and one of few large producers to genuinely deliver farm-to-table. Founded in 1982; the Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay built the brand. The Wine Estate & Gardens in Fulton anchors four acres of culinary, sensory, and demonstration gardens designed by Tucker Taylor, feeding the estate kitchen.
Founded in 1977 by Sandra MacIver with Merry Edwards as inaugural winemaker, the estate that founded the Bennett Valley AVA, designated in 2003. It sits in a horseshoe-shaped pocket where Petaluma Gap winds meet volcanic hillsides. The lavender fields are the other landmark, a working crop visible from every vantage.
Rodney D. Strong founded Sonoma County's 13th bonded winery in 1959; the Klein family has owned it since 1989. Twelve estate vineyards across five appellations anchor a serious single-vineyard program: Alexander's Crown, Rockaway, and Brothers Ridge Cabernet lead the Alexander Valley wines. Justin Seidenfeld leads winemaking.
Established in 1998 by Jess Jackson and Bordelais vigneron Pierre Seillan. Vérité makes three blends: La Muse (Merlot-led), La Joie (Cabernet-led), and Le Désir (Cabernet Franc-led), from some fifty micro-blocks across Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill, Knights Valley, and Bennett Valley. A stone chai-style winery near Healdsburg looks out over the Chalk Hill region.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form
